The Shrink Program

Chapter 149

"Watching me through cameras is one thing." I hissed angrily to myself.

Or rather, to the invasive little creep currently using my body as his own personal spyware.

"This takes invading my privacy to a whole. New. Level."

"Ah... Not that I am trying to distract you from your justified anger or anything here... " Peri's voice came nervously from the phone. "...But does your heart seriously beat like this all the time? Even I'm starting to feel a little light-headed over here -Ow! You pinched me!"

"No." I seethed, near trembling with rage. "I pinched myself."

And he had felt it.

Peri, who was probably sitting in his office at the Shrink program, half-way across the city from where I was currently standing, had felt me pinch myself.

Because his radio was tuned in on Maddison Tramph station.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head!" I demanded, panic growing wildly in my chest.

He had seen everything. Experienced everything I had encountered since waking up in the dollhouse.

Alex.

Vain

Nigel.

This was officially the most humiliating moment of my life.

"I can't- ouch! We need to stay in contact, so- ah! Enough with the pinching! "

I pinched myself again, harder, listening to him yelp on the other end of the line. Knowing that he could feel the heat burning in my cheeks at this very moment.

Even my embarrassment isn't private anymore.

"Maddison please." Alan tried to soothe, raising a placating hand towards me. "Self-harm is not the answer."

I sent him a look of pure hatred.

"This is your fault."

Alan Floid, confident master manipulator, took a step back.

And shut up.

.... Maybe for him, the words struck a little harder than intended...

Good. I'm mad right now, So I am not going to feel sorry.

Nope.

"There is no need to get worked up Maddison." Vain sighed.

I slowly turned to look at him, taking in the tense set of his shoulders beneath me.

He was ready for me to blow up.

"No need?" I growled dangerously, but Vain just shrugged dismissively.

"I've had the same thing done to me in the past, every time Alex and Alan wanted to spy on their mother." He explained calmly. "That's how I knew, from the moment I found out about you being infected with their nanotech, that they were likely monitoring our situation through you."

"Oh, I see." I half laughed. "You just casually figured out that a creepy pervert was experiencing a day in the life of Maddison, but didn't feel the need to tell me until now?"

Vain had to know he was skating on thin ice right now.

"When, exactly, would have been the ideal time for me to announce this to you, Maddison?" He snapped defensively.

That doesn't mean that he was any good at it.

In the background, I could hear Peri protesting at being called a creepy pervert, explaining that he had to do this to save our lives, Thank you very much...